The present invention relates to packages for sterile pointed objects, such as needles, and more particularly to thermoformed blister packages for such objects.
Blister packs for needles are well known and used due to their effectiveness and economy. Pointed devices, such as needles, especially heavy ones, can puncture their packaging during shipping and handling. In the case of medical devices, punctures in the packaging renders them non-sterile and the sharply pointed devices can pose a safety hazard. In the past, this problem was attempted to be solved by incorporating snap-fit retainers or undercuts in the blister pack to establish an interference/friction fit to retain the pointed object in place within the pack and prevent punctures. In order to make the snap-fit retainers strong enough to hold needles in place within the pack, they must exert a strong grip on the needle which has to be overcome by the user when the needle is removed from the package. Because the use of snap-fit retainers requires a mechanical interaction between the package and the needle demanding close tolerances, a specific package has to be used with each different size needle. Due to the surface smoothness of the plastic material used in forming blister packs and the surface smoothness of needles, along with the high density of the needles, even a tight fit between the retainer and needle does not insure that the needle will not become dislodged given a sufficiently large shock in a critical direction. A known alternative technology is to use needle caps that are friction fit over the point of the needles before packaging to prevent the points from puncturing the packaging during shipping and handling. Protective caps, however, are difficult to remove and complicate time-critical surgical procedures.
The problems and disadvantages associated with the conventional techniques and devices utilized to hold pointed objects are overcome by the present invention which includes a package having a tray portion with an internal hollow delimited by a bottom surface and a sidewall. The internal hollow receives the pointed object therein and a removable support member extends substantially parallel to the bottom surface over the internal hollow. A point guard depends from the support member towards the tray proximate the sidewall, with the point guard interposable between the sidewall and a point on the pointed object to be held.